Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an electroconductive member and an electrophotographic apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as electrophotographic apparatus), such as copy machines and laser beam printers, include a semiconductive electroconductive member, such as a charging belt, a charging roller, an intermediate transfer belt, and a transfer roller. As one of such electroconductive members, an electroconductive member including an electroconductive resin layer made of a thermoplastic resin containing a conducting filler, such as carbon black, has been devised.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-5531 discloses an intermediate transfer member made of a resin composition containing a conducting agent having a pH of 5.0 or less in the form of aggregates having grain sizes of 5 μm or more with a density in number of 5 or less per unit area (0.1 mm2). According to this disclosure, the conducting agent is present in a highly dispersed state in the intermediate transfer member, and consequently, the intermediate transfer member exhibits a belt resistance that is not decreased by transfer voltage and an improved uniform electric resistance that is independent of the electric field and does not vary much depending on the environment.